Suction cleaner and converter facility therefor



SUCTION CLEANER AND CONVERTER FACILITY THEREFOR G. A. BRACE Aug. 14, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 1, 1951 INVENTOR. $601,296 0%. Brace Aug. 14, 1956 G. A. BRACE 2,753,329

SUCTION CLEANER AND CONVERTER FACILITY THEREFOR Filed Sept. 1, 1951. 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 6 602:96 0%. Brace Aug. 14, 1956 G. A. BRACE SUCTION CLEANER AND CONVERTER FACILITY THEREFOR s SheetsSheet 3 Filed Sept. 1, 1951 INVENTOR. :96 0?. Brace Geo G. A. BRACE SUCTION CLEANER AND CONVERTER FACILITY THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 1, 1951 INVENTOR. 6602296 cfl Brace Aug. 14, 1956 BRACE 2,758,329

SUCTION CLEANER AND CONVERTER FACILITY THEREFOR Filed Sept. 1,1951

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 will! I IN V EN TOR.

$607396 0 7'. Bruce 2,758,329 Patented Aug. 14,4956

SUCTION CLEANER GON-VERTER FACILITY TI HEREFOR George A.- Braceyl-lighland 'Park, Ill., assignor "to The lifogvl'fr Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation o in I 1 Application Septemberl, 1951, Serial No. 244,791 7 '12Claims. (Cl. '-333) This inventionrelates to suction cleaners and more particularly to new and improved constructions adapted for conversion between on-the-floor an'dfoif-the-floor operation with greater facility, convenience and efliciency.

The present invention hasparticularl utility. .when employed on the modern floor. type cleaherhaving a power driven agitator in the mouth .of the'suctiontnozzle for beating the carpet'as the surface litter and dirtare picked up. During ofisthe-floor cleaning, the. operation of the agitator is likely to damage the carpet. unless the proper. precautions are taken. In general, prevalent precautionary measures fall within one of two categories, namely, thosein which theagitator. is elevated and-supported appreciably above the, carpet,.or those-in which the agitator .driveisdisconnected. However, the constructions of both.categories heretofore proposedto protect the carpet are subject to numerous disadvantages.

. Since this invention. fallswithin .the scopeof Ithe first mentionedcategory of protectiveexpedients,namely, to

elevating the agitator,-the more serious shortcomings of prior devices of this type will be referred tobriefly, For example, certain prior constructions require the. operator to perform a. sequence of operations in order to convert the cleaner tooff-the-floor operation necessitating detailed. training of the operator and requiring more skill and'n'lechanical aptitude than is possessed by many housewives. :Othersimpose limitations on the designer and require the convertertool to be insertedtfrom certain points-access towhich-is inconvenient and. awkward Another. disadvantage is the complexity andhigh cost .of prior conversiondevices.

The present invention provides anunusually: simple and eifective construction. entirely. overcomingthe. shortcomings of those heretofore known. Thus, in; the present novelidesign the converter tool...is inserted downwardly through an opening'in the top ofthe suction-nozzle and this coupling movement is utilized to elevate and lock the agitator in a raised position entirely removed from contact with the carpet; The simultaneous upward move- "verter tool operates simultaneously to elevate the suction nozzle appreciably-above the-carpet and to'hold-it in this position so long as the converter is.in place.

' A further object. is ?t'o"iprovide a n0ve1 converter tool designed. tosfraddle the runsof the-agitator belt and havingsa slotclosing valve thereon which11cooperates with the cleaner body in a unique manner to lock the centrallyof'the top side'of thecleaner body and to be converter in place and the valve closed so,long.ias the converter is in assembled position.

Yet another objectisthe provisionv of acleaner with a converter passage opening upwardly .through the top "of the'suction passageway and having associated therewith means. positioned in the path of the converter tool for elevating the suction. nozzle. .Morespecifically, it is -an object'of the invention to so mount the nozzle-raising means that it pivotsi about the wheeled support :for the cleaner rather than. upon-the. cleaner :body proper. .Various other objects and advantages of vtheinvention wil become apparentafromthe followingdetailed description of illustrative embodimentsof thei-nvention and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view ofiaflooncleaner incorporating the invention;

, Figure 2 is a vertical sectional viewthrough the-suction'nozzle showing the converter tool. ,beinginserted through the. converter. passage but before. it has acted to liftthe suction nozzle;

1 Figure 3 is a viewsimilar to Figure=2but-showing the .bodimentof the. invention taken.along.lines.6-,.- 6 on Figure 7;

Figure 7. is atop plan view of the-.cleanerishown in Figure 6 with certain parts. broken-awayto' show the interior construction;

. :Figure 8 is a-view.- similar toFigure 6-showing-the converter .tool fully inserted; and

.. Figure. 9 is a perspective-view. of. therconverter. tool employed in the second embodiment. a

. The first ernbodimentr is shown..as--i ncorporated in a suction cleaner having a ;-main-body .1-0-'provided with a suction nozzle 11 textending-acr0ss-itsf01ward end and supported upon a pair of rear-wheels 12 andza pair of front carrier-Wheels 13. A-vertical axiscmotor-fan unit, not shown indetail, will besunderstood to bewsupported enclosed by 1 an appearance'hood 14.. The usualpropellinghandle 15 is pivotedtothe rear endtof the/body at .a. point overlying the :aindischarge'passageway and the usualfilter bag 16. As willberbettereunderstood byreference to Figures-.2 and. 3, -thersuctionfan17 is located in .afanchamb'er 18 having; an inleti'eye 19.. r. This eye is in communication with thetsuction nozzle' through a rearwardly extending suction air pa'ssagewayrzfl the bottom: wall 21 of vwhich is removable in accordance with customary practice.

..:A::-rotary agitator 22 is rotatably) mounted justlinside (the. mouth of themsuction passageway -and:..i-s provided with the. usual carpet. beatingelements such as 'theuows of bristles -23; and rigid beater bars 24; Tliet'gitator is drivenby a belt 25 encircling'the'a'gitator and'connected to a pulley 26 'on' the lower end. of the motor's'haft.

The carrier wheels 13 are mounted "on the opposite ends of an axle shaft generally indicated" at 271- This shaft extends transversely of the cleaner body and is bent as illustrated in Figures 2 to.4 to form a pairi-o'f. bell cranks which are. pivoted :to the-cleaner bodytintermediate their. ends as .at 28.. One pair of bellcrankarms 29,- 29 extend upwardly into the top tportionnoftthe suction nozzle andtheir ends.are/interconnectedlbyuthe central portion 30 of the axle. The other pair of hell crank curved vertical wall 31 and a horizontal bearing cap portion 32 which underlies bearing portion 28, 28 of the shaft 27. These elements are held in position by a pair of screws 33, 33. It will therefore be clear that the central inverted U-shaped portion of shaft 27 formed" by arms 29, 29-and central portion 36 is positioned within'the suction nozzle. As shown in Figure 4, arms 29, 29' are located to'one side of the side walls of suction passageway 20 so as not to interfere with the air flow nor with the insertion of the converter tool as will be more fully described below.

To provide for adjustment of the suction nozzle to carpets of difierent thicknesses there is provided a manual control lever 34 which is supported on stud 35 projecting downwardly from the underside of the cleaner body. The lever is pivotally connected to this stud by a screw-36 and a friction spring washer 37. The lower end of the lever is provided with two or more notches -38, 39 located at different radial distances from the pivot screw. The upper or handle end 40 of the control lever projects upwardly through an opening in the cleaner body 'so as to be operable from the top side of the cleaner.

When lever 34 is in the position shown in Figures '2 and 3, notch 38 is in position to abut shaft 27 at a point beside one of the supporting wheels 13, and thereby prevents further clockwise rotation of the shaft. In other words, notch 38 adjusts the nozzle to its lower operating position for handling carpets of average thickness. If it is desired tooperate the cleaner on thick carpets, the adjusting lever is pivoted rearwardly so that notch 39 overlies the wheel axle to hold the nozzle in a somewhat higher position for operation on such carpets. The friction washer 37 retains the control lever in a selected opcrating position even though the shaft 27 is entirely removed from notches 38- and 39.

In order to prevent shaft 27 from rotating counterclockwise about bearing pivot 28 when the cleaner is lifted from the floor, there is provided a light leaf spring 40 one end of which is secured to the back wall of the suction nozzle and the other end bears against the underside of arm 31 of the axle shaft. This spring accordingly urges the shaft to rotate counterclockwise into firm engagement with notch 38 or 39 of the control lever.

The conversion facilities will now be described, reference being invited to Figures 2, 3 and 4. The converter port 41 is located in the top wall of the suction nozzle and is normally closed by a cover plate 42 having a hinged connection 43 with the cleaner body. A converter receiving passage isprovided by a tubular member 44 extending downwardly from port 41 at an angle. The upper end of member 44 is secured to the top wall of the nozzle The converter tool itself is illustrated in Figure 5 and comprises a tubular sheet metal member 46 having 'a socket 47 at one end forming a coupling for the' usual flexible hose 48. Its opposite end is of rectangular shape and of a size to be readily received by converter receiving member 44. The discharge end of the converter tool is open and shaped as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 5. Thus, as appears most clearly from Figure 2, the lower ends of the opposite sides of the converter tool are shaped to provide cam surfaces 49 which engage the underside of horizontal portion 30 of the wheel shaft as the converter enters member 44. Further downward movement of the converter rotates the axle counter-clockwise about the axis of carrier wheels 13. In so doing, all other portions of the shaft, including pivot portion 28, rotate counter-clockwise and carry the forward end of the body upwardly about the rear wheels thereby raising thesuction nozzle completely off the carpet to the position illustrated in Figure 3. The front wall of the converter is thenin contact with cover plate 21'of the suction air passageway. The sides of the nozzle lie flush against the sides of the suction passageway while the top wall rests against the lower, forward corner of the fan chamber thereby cutting off all air flow from the suction nozzle and confining the flow to the converter tool. In order to avoid having to disconnect the agitator drive when converting the cleaner to dusting tool use, provision is made for straddling the runs of the agitator belt'and, for sealing off the required slot in the converter tool automatically. To this end, the front wall of the converter tool is ,provided with a belt receiving slot'50. The'p'ortions of this slot not occupied by the runs of the beltare'closed by a unitary valve member'Sl pivoted to the forward side of the tool by a rivet 5 2. This valve is provided with a lower notch 53 and an upper notch 54- of the configuration illustrated for receiving the runs ofjthe belt and closing otf the remainder of slot 50. The valve is normally urged toward and held in closed position by light spring 55 secured to the converter tool. The valve is also provided with a manual lever 56 terminating'at one side ofthe tool in a convenient position to be grasped by the operator when it is desired to un-- latch and remove the converter from the cleaner.

It war also be noted that one side of the valve member is provided with a pair of cam surfaces terminating in a notchjust below operating lever 56. These cam surfaces serve to open the valve and hold it open while the tool is being inserted. This is accomplished by means of a pin 57 projecting inwardly from the front peripheral edge of converter port 41. The position of this pin when the converter valve first contacts it during insertion is indicated bythe dotted line showing of the pin at 57' in Figure 5. In other w0rds,-soon after the insertion of'the converter in passage 44, pin 57 will engage cam surface 58 of the valve member and pivot it clockwise to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 5, and into a position permittingthe runs of the belt to-be received by slot 50 of the tool." Due to design of cam 58, opening of the valve occurs very quickly. After the valve is openit is held openby the engagement of pin 57 with cam surface 59 of the valve member. By the time the converter has been fully inserted, pin 57 will be in the dotted position indicated by 57" in Figure 5 wherein it is opposite locking notch 6t) of the valve member. So long as pin 57 is engaged in notch -60, the converter is locked firmly in place and cannot be removed until control lever 56 is manually rotated clockwise in opposition to spring 55.

Attention is also invited to Figure 3 from which it will beobserved that portion 30 of the shaft 27 rests against thereahtop wall of the converter tool thereby locking the nozzle'in raised position so long as the converter is in place; i

Reconversion to on-the-floor cleaning readily accomplishe d by unlatching the converter as described immediately above and withdrawing the tool. Asthe lower end passes upwardlybeyond portion 30 oftheshaft, theshaft rotates clockwise about the axis of wheels 13 until the cleaner; comes to rest in the previously adjusted position of the nozzle wherein the shaft is received in either notch -38-or39 of hozzle adjustment lever 34. As soon asconverter cover 42 is closed, :the* cleanerais readyfor "conxtinued on-the-floor'operation.

Second embodiment A somewhat simplified. versionrof the invention'jsillustrated in Figures 6 to 90f:the drawings::. :According to this version, it isunnecessaryto" extend the: carrierewheel shaft through the suction air passageway,1nor is it neces sary to make provisiononthe-converter tool for sealing .off the belt drive .toatheagitator. This. is accomplished by resort to acleanerhavingva: horizontally aiarranged motor-fan unit of-a type well knownin the prior art. The

cleaner body has a downwardly Opening suctionnozzle 71 across its forward end 'which is in communication with two rearwardly and upwardly-extending housings 72 and 73. The generally cylindricalamotorefan unit74 is provided with bearings of well knownaconstruction at its opposite ends which are rotatably-supported;on the'facing sides of housings 72 and 73, as clearly-appears from Figure 7.

.As viewed intFigure 7, the electricidriving motor is located at the top end, of the casing while-suction fan 75 opens into suction air passageway-76 providedrby housing 72 through fan eye 77.; Thefan discharges into exhaust air passageway 78 which opens into a detachable filter bag 79. The propelling handle 80is'co'nnected to a socket 81 formed on the upper sidenf: exhaust passageway 78. It is therefore to beunderstood thattheentire motor-fan unit, propelling handle and. filter thagpivot as a unit on an axiscoinciding withthe axis-.ofithemotorfan unit.

A rotary agitator 82. is mounted imthesuctionnozzle and is connected by a driving belt S S-to the motor drivenpulley 84. This pulley and .thetdriving belt are located in housing 73.

Bracket members-84 are' rigidly :secured'to body 70 of the cleaner and support rearwheels 85..- Thezfront carrierwheels 86 are mounted on the-outer ends of .U-shaped axle 87 pivotally supported in bearings 88'carried on the rear lip of the suction nozzle.- -A light torsionrspring 89 is so arranged as to urge the axle and-:wheelsdo-rotate counter-clockwise toward the cleaner body.

. cleaner causes the axle and 'arm 90xtoirotate counterclockwise against stop 9,3-wherein the nozzleis, properly positioned .for on-the-floorcleaning. It'will of course be understoodthat, if desired, a nozzle adjustment control may be employed .in lieu of stop 93,- ast-forexample the, type described in connection with the first embodiment.

Reference will now be had to Figures 8 and 9- for a description of the convertenfacilities. A converter port located in the top wall of housing-72 .is'normallyt closed by a hinged cover 96 spring biased to open position. by .a-

torsion springencircling-the cover hinge but not-shown in the drawings. This cover is normally held closed by a latch mechanism 97 having an end engageable in notch 98 of the cover.

. The converter tool illustrated in. Figure. 91 comprises a sheet metal tubular member99 having 'a'coupling 100 for connection to the flexiblehose; Theopposite end is cut away. as indicatedat 101 to registerrwith fan eye 77 and to cut off flow through the-suction nozzlmwhen the tool is in place. The-lower end of2 the tool is receivable in a recess 1G2 on-the lower endeotlthe' suction passageway. The converter toolistlatched in position .by the engagement oflatch device.:97; in motch 103 onthe forward wall of the converter tool. As clearly shown in Figures 8 ancl.9, thelower end 104::ofzth'econverter tool =1.

#overlies the' upper end of -member- 91 of' the lwshaped member'91 and, ins'o doing, rotatesthe carrier'wheel axle 87- clockwise about the axis of carrier:wheels 86nthereby elevating sthee-suction' nozzle toa positionyompletely above'the .carpehas indicated r by the dot and dash floor line in Figure 6.

The operation of the secon'd' embodiment will be obvious from the detailed description of tthefirst embodiment and the.foregoingcstructural:description.-'- It will also be appreciated that,: since! the I. agitator driving 'belt is located 1 in :a zpassagewayiaseparate1from the suction fair-passageway, there iszno'need forprovidingz'a belt? receiving slot vin the converter tool for any waive means :forcclosing the slot.

Moreover, conversionito OfinthfiflOOI' cleaning is-accom- 1': plished veryzsirnply: All thatis necessary; is .tomnlatch cover '96.and insert the converter tool downwardly through the converter port. As the converterwi's inserted, the bottom- Wall will engage thenozzle raising .-:-'member.

5 Further downward movement of" the tool lifts th'e nozzle .until latch means 97..engages *notch 103 of th'e tool and :locks the. converter inwplace; "Locking of the converter also :locks'theno'zzle :in raised position and holds it there ence of the spring located in its hinge. c While'I have'shown. but two embodiments of my inventionit is :to. beunderstood that these -rem'bodiments are to be takenpas illustrative only and not in a limitingsense.

;I.-;do not: wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to 'inclndevall equivalent' variations thereof .except. as limited by the scope' of the claims. =.-:I:claim:

. ,1. A. suction cleaner comprising, a main body provided witha suction-nozzle having 'a rotary agitatortherein, 'a

motor driven suction fan 'on Said body rearwardly of said nozzle, driving means: extending between said motor and said..agitator, aisuction passage. in said-body-extending between said-fan and said nozzle, wheel-means supporting said hody'includinga vpair of'wheelsat all times supporting said-body and movable vertically'toward and-away from said body to'adjust :the height of said nozzle with-respect :tothe'floor, means .for converting said clea'ner' from on- Y the-floor "to: off=the-flolor "cleaning including "a 1 converter .receiving portain the upper sideof said suctionipassage, a

:cover for said portwhen said -cleaneris' used-'for on-the- -floor cleaning, andmeansrconn'ected with said movable wheels and extending into the path of a converter tool as it .-is inserted' downwardly through saidconverten portand movable'by the downward inserting movement of= a'con- --verter tool to elevate said nozzle 'out'of'cleaning relation to a-carpet, the arrangemenbbeing such that the resistance 1 to the'insertion movement of said tool is utilized toelevate said nozzle.

2. The combination with a suction cleanerof the type having a main: body, a suction nozzle thereon carrying a :rotary: agitator, a motor driven suction fan rearwardly of said nozzle, a belt between' said motor and agitator to:

drive the latter, -a snctionpassage leading'from said nozzle to said"fan,-a converter port in the top of said passage for receiving a converter tool 'for'foff the-fioor cleaning, of means for supporting saidnozzle at selectively different carpet cleaning elevations for on 'thefioor cleaning and for manually operable means for adjustingthepositi'on' of said wheeled means relative to said cleaner"body'for't'on-thefloon cleaning, said wheeled means includinga lever movably mounted on said body and fulcrumed on the axis of .one of the wheels of said wheeled means and havingta portion thereof positioned in the path of a converter tool inserted through said port and movable thereby so that said lever is pivoted about said. fulcrum to elevate said suction nozzle as the converter tool is moved downwardly into air-tight seating engagement with said converter port.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein part of said lever is positioned outside said suction passage and part is postioned within said passage at a point underlying said converter port.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 including said manually operable means supported on said cleaner body and having a plurality of stops movable into the path of said wheeled means to adjust the operating elevation of said nozzle for on-the-floor cleaning, and means for frictionally holding said manually operable means in a preselected position while said nozzle is elevated for oil-thefioor cleaning whereby said nozzle is returned to the same .adjusted position occupied before being converted to ofiF-the-floor operation.

5. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said lever comprises a double crank-shaped axle for a-pair of .cleaner supporting wheels and wherein said axle has a portion thereof extending into said suction passage from the exterior thereof to a point located in the path of a converter tool as it is inserted downwardly through said port, said axle being shiftable about the axis of said pair of wheels by the insertion of the converter tool to elevate said suction nozzle.

- 6. The combination with a suction cleaner of the type having a main body provided with a suction nozzle across the forward end thereof, a rotary agitator mounted in said nozzle, a motor driven suction fan on said body rearward of said nozzle, a suction air passage extending rearwardly from said nozzle to said suction fan, a belt positioned in said passage and extending between said motor and agitator to drive the latter, of means for converting said cleaner to otf-the-floor operation and for simultaneously elevating said nozzle and agitator appreciably above the carpet comprising, a converter receiving port opening through the top of said nozzle forwardly of said suction fan, a plurality of vertically adjustable wheels at all times supporting said cleaner and including movable lever means fulcrumed on the axis of .certain of said wheels and having a pivotal connection with said cleaner body, a portion of said lever means being positioned in the path of a converter tool inserted through said port and movable thereby to elevate said nozzle by using the axis of said certain wheels as a fulcrum, and a closure for closing said port while said cleaner is being used for on-the-fioor cleaning.

7. The combination defined in .claim- 6 wherein said lever means includes an axle extending crosswise of said cleaner rearward of said nozzle, said wheels being journaled on the opposite ends of said axle, said axle having portions thereof offset from the axes of. said wheels and journaled in said cleaner body on the opposite sides of said suction air passage.

8. The combination defined in claim 6 including a converter tool having open ended slot means at the lower end thereof to receive the runs of said agitator driving belt as said tool is inserteddownwardly through said converter port, valve means mounted on said tool closing said slot means except for openings to receive the runs of said belt, said valve means being normally held closed by a spring, co-operating abutment means on said cleaner and valve means operable to open said valve means as said converter tool enters said converter port and to hold said valve means open. until said tool is seated whereupon said valve spring closes said valve means about the runs of said belt, said abutment means cooperating to lock said converter tool in place in said cleaner and to hold said nozzle in the elevated position thereof.

9. The combination defined in claim 6 including a converter tool having open ended slot means at the lower end thereof to receive the runs of said agitator belt as .said tool is inserted downwardly through said converter port, a spring-biased valve member-pivotally mounted on said tool normally closingsaid slot'means except for openings to receive said belt runs, an abutment extending from the edge of said port and engageable with a cammed edge on said valve member formed to open said valve as said converter is inserted through said port and to hold the valve open until the converter tool is seated in said port, and a recess in said valve member which locks behind said abutment to hold said valve closed and said converter in place on said cleaner and said nozzle in said elevated position during oif-the-floor-operation thereof.

10. The combination defined in claim 6 including a converter tool the lower end of which is cut off on the bias to provide a cam surface for engagement with the said portion of said lever means positioned in the path of the tool as it is inserted downwardly through said port whereby said lever means is pivoted about said fulcrum as the converter tool is inserted thereby elevating said nozzle for otI-the-floor cleaning.

ll. The combination with a suction cleaner having a main body provided with a suction nozzle, a rotary agitator therein, a motor-driven suction fan on said body, said body having a suction air passage extending between said nozzle and said fan, a belt extending through said inserted transversely of said suction air passage, valve means on said tool for closing the portions of said slot means not occupied by the belt runs, lever means pivotally mounted on said body and'fulcrumed on the axis of the wheels of said wheel means and extending into the path of said tool as the latter is inserted through said port for raising said nozzle out of cleaning relation to the floor, and interengaging means on said cleaner and on said valve means for-holding said converter tool in a position such that said lever means is operative to hold the suction nozzle out of cleaning relation to the floor, said interengaging means also being operative to hold said converter tool seated within said converter'port and in a position to cut off substantially all air flow through the suction nozzle.

12. In combination with a floor type suction cleaner readily convertible between on-the-floor and off-the-floor operation comprising, a main body having a suction air passage, a power-driven suction'nnit on said body opening into said air passage, a downwardly facing suction nozzle in communication with said passage, a rotary agitator in said nozzle, belt driving means therefor connected to said power unit'and extending through said suction air passage, means on said cleaner supporting a pair of vertically adjustable wheels, a converter port opening into said air passage through the top wall thereof, a converter tool insertable downwardly through said port into said passage and having slot means to receive said belt for converting said cleaner to off-the-fioor operation, valve means on said tool for closing the portions of said slot means not occupied by said belt as the tool is inserted across said passage, means engageable by said tool as the 'same is inserted through said port for elevating said cooperation with said nozzle elevating means to hold said nozzle out of cleaning relation to the floor.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pierce Oct. 3, 1939 Taylor Jan. 30, 1940 5 Berg Sept. 28, 1943 Pardee Dec. 26, 1944 10 Sherrer June 19, 1945 White Mar. 4, 1947 Gerber Oct. 5, 1948 White Oct. 5, 1948 Osborn Feb. 5, 1952 Kunkler Sept. 29, 1953 

